Improved surface-condenser



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EINITED STATE "ATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. OORLISS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVED SURFACE-CONDENSER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,280, dated August26, 186:2.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. OoRLIss, of Providence, in the State of.Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSurface-Condensers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a fulland exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical section of theapparatus; Fig. 2, a horizontal projection or ground plan of the same.Figs. 3 and 4 show the form of the upper ends of the tubes employed.

The purpose of my invention is to obtain pure water from thecondensation of steam more satisfactorily than has heretofore been donerather than to avoid the effect of atmospheric pressure on the workingof the steamengine.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A receiver of the steam to be condensed extending over the whole of theground plan is shown at A, Fig. 1. This is made'of sufficient depth toallow room for a workman to operate the apparatus by which the lowerends-of the tubes are made water-tight. Tubes which serve ascondensing-chambers are shown at B B. These are each connected with thereceiver by a water-tight joint.

A case for inclosing these tubes is shown at G O. The tubes B B, whichare otherwise cylindrical, are flattened at their upper extremities, asshown in Figs. 3 and 4, in order to form a contracted aperture forrestricting the exit of the air or vapor from within the tubes, so thatthesteam entering fromthe receiver shall be prevented from passingthrough the tubes too rapidly for insuring perfect condensation. Theupper ends of the tubes are held in position by adiaphragm-plate,D,without being attached thereto.

The heat evolved by the process of condensation may be removed from theexterior surfaces of the tubes by a current of dry or moist air, or bywater. In the present instance the apparatus is arranged for the use ofwater, which enters by the pipe E, and after passing the entire lengthof the apparatus above the diaphragm D descends through an opening, H,and is returned to the pipe E, through which it flows oft freely at alevel sufficiently below the upper extremities of the tubes to preventoverflowing them. The water produced by the condensation of the steam isdrawn off by a pipe, Gr, attached to the bottom of the receiver. It isobvious from the above description that the slight resistance presentedby the escaping air through the contracted ends of the tubes tends to anequal distribution of the steam throughout all the tubes.

It will also be seen that the tubes are each free to expand and contractunder all changes of temperature without detriment to the apparatus; andit will be further seen that any tube of the whole series may be readilyremoved without disturbing the others, and that the only joint by whichit is attached to the apparatus is conveniently reached by removing theplate I and entering the receiver.

, \Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is i 1. Constructing the tubes or condensingchambers ofsurface-condensers with restricted apertures, substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose specified.

2.. The combination of a receiver, A, with a series of tubes, B B, ortheir equivalents, each of which connects at one extremity with saidreceiver and atihe other with the open air, substantially as described.

GEO. H. CORLISS. Witnesses:

EDWIN S. JACOB, Gusmvus DIETERICH.

